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My Edible Garden

I've been gardening for most of my life and have been a devoted fan of organic gardening the whole time. It just makes so much more sense to work in harmony with Mother Nature than to fight her. Besides which it is better for the planet and better for our bodies. Here you can see what I'm planting and harvesting, with gardening hints and resources thrown in for good measure.

Monday, July 11, 2011

Beans & Potatoes!

Hopi Purple Pod Beans

Well, all of that rain the 4th of July and the little showers we've had since, have really got the plants shooting up! The Hopi Purple Pod Beans are outgrowing their screen protection and are nearly ready to run up the trellis.

The potatoes are doing great. The ones on the left are bakers and the ones on the right are the red and purple ones. I have used the silt and oak leaves that washed down onto the sidewalk and patio to mulch them with.

The herbs in pots on the front steps are doing well, several pots of catmint, a variegated oregano, lemon basil, regular basil, lemon thyme and chives. The catmint is doing so well that my garden fairy is nearly hidden. Can you find her? Remember you can click on the pictures to see them larger.

Here's a close up of her hiding. Oh yes, some of the greenery in the large pot is a Four o' Clock or Marvel of Peru. I love these old fashioned flowers that open late in the afternoon or evening. They are very sweetly scented and change colors as they bloom and fade.

Here they act as herbaceous perennials, dieing down each fall and coming back from their roots in early summer.

Once they have grown a full season they are very difficult to transplant, since you can't seem to get all the root. So start some seedlings in pots and move them while they are small to their permanent home. If you don't have any neighbors to beg or trade seeds with, you can order some online.

Remember the little sunflower seedlings? Only a couple of them made it, between my crazy work schedule where I wasn't home to water in time before they wilted and what ever bugs & such were munching on the. But those two are growing steadily.

GOALS FOR 2016

I have decided that this year I will try to plant 100 trees and shrubs on my property. Most of these will be small seedlings and cuttings, others will be larger nursery stock as I have the money. Lets see how close I can get by Dec 31!